Data security and data protection at POLYAS

Here at POLYAS we do everything we can to ensure your election and voter data are secure. Our online voting systems POLYAS CORE 2.2.3 and CORE 3.0 comply with the requirements of the General Regulation on Data Protection. In accordance with German data protection laws, we also take a range of technical and organizational measures to ensure data security and data protection during your elections with us.

Data security at POLYAS

To secure your data from theft or loss, we take a number of precautions when handling your election data.

Online voting systems hosted on the Open Telekom Cloud

Since 2018, POLYAS hosts online elections on the multi-certified servers of the Open Telekom Cloud. Here, emphasis is placed on data security, data availability, trust and scalability of online elections. The Open Telekom Cloud runs on multiple, separate servers so that data is stored in parallel and is always available. The certified Open Telekom Cloud also works with an Anti-DDoS function to protect public IP-addresses. This is how POLYAS is able to ensure the highest data security and quality management standards.

Access to server rooms

Only authorized persons have access to the servers that store your data in accordance with ISO27001. Additionally, servers holding your data are housed in German and European data centers in compliance with European data protection standards.

Access rights to election data

Access rights to your data are password protected which enables access only to you. Our election managers can access the data only to the extent that it is necessary and don’t have full access rights. In order to understand who has accessed or changed your data at what point in time, we keep records which are handed over to you at the end of the election.

Data transfer

We transfer your data exclusively over encrypted networks. The data themselves are also encrypted to prevent manipulation during transfer.

Availability of election data

We ensure your data is always available to you by mirroring the hard drives on which your data are stored, using firewalls, taking the highest fire protection precautions and providing an uninterrupted power supply.

Data protection at POLYAS

We implement a number of mechanisms to protect the personal data of your voters:

Personal data is always encrypted when transferred

Access to all of your data is password protected

Data held for different purposes are stored separately

This is how we ensure only authorized persons are able to access your data. Moreover, the election official is given an election archive containing all personal data upon election conclusion. We can also arrange a “delete date” for voter data after the election on request.

You don’t want personal data stored?

Simply allow login to the voting system to your voters over your intranet. SecureLinks enable eligible voters to conveniently log into the system and cast their votes over your intranet. No personal data is stored by POLYAS during this process.

POLYAS-Tip: To ensure that all election processes ran smoothly and with integrity during the election, as well as to ensure the results are correct, POLYAS online voting systems CORE 3.0 and CORE 2.2.3 offer you various ways to examine your online election. Learn more about verifying POLYAS online elections now.

Highest security standards for your online election

POLYAS CORE 2.2.3 and POLYAS CORE 3.0 allow you to verify voter secrecy in the election and comply fundamental democratic principles. Additionally, we put our systems through regular security checks and continuously research new technologies to ensure your online election with POLYAS always utilizes the highest level of security.